President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that the redeployment of some air defense assets from U.S. Forces Korea “won’t hinder deterrence against North Korea.” But concerns are growing that South Korea’s air defense could be left vulnerable after international media reported that the U.S. may redeploy not only Patriot PAC-3 — a low-altitude air defense system the South Korean military had expected might be moved — but also elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. A day earlier, the Washington Post quoted two U.S. officials saying the U.S. military is relocating some components of the THAAD system to the Middle East. The move, according to the officials, is intended as a precaution in case Iranian retaliatory attacks escalate again. Unlike the Patriot system, which South Korea can partially replace with its own air defense assets, THAAD has no comparable domestic alternative. Experts warn that prolonged tensions in the Middle East could deepen security vulnerabilities on the Korean Peninsula. So far, assets within U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) known to have b